On Tuesday night, Jarome Iginla scored on Martin Brodeur in the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Devils in Newark.

The goal came on a wrist shot off a mini-breakaway, the puck trickling through Brodeur and connecting two future Hall of Famers who are on the back nine of their careers. It's actually only the seventh time Iginla has beaten Brodeur, the goals spanning 17 years between two of the best of their era who have usually been on opposite sides of the continent.

The first time the 36-year-old Iginla scored on the 41-year-old Brodeur, it was Dec. 5, 1996. It was Iginla's rookie season with the Flames and the ninth goal of his nascent career.

It was 547 goals later when he made it 3-1 Boston at 2:22 of the second period Tuesday, tying him with Bruins luminary Johnny Bucyk for 25th on the NHL's all-time list for goals scored.

If he's not quite the dominant player he was in his Calgary heyday, it's been hard to tell lately. Iginla has goals in four straight games and seven goals total in the last six. As the Bruins have romped to a 10-game winning streak, it's been Iginla's ubiquitous smile that's been at the forefront.

With 26 scores, he's one of 25 players in the league with 25 or more. Only the 38-year-old Martin St. Louis (29 goals) is older. Marian Hossa (35) and Patrick Marleau (34) are the only others older than 30.

The average age of the 25 players at 25 goals is 28 years old, right in the middle of the sweet spot of a player's career when maturity, hockey sense, confidence and a strong-and-healthy body allow for maximum potential to be reached. Also on the list are 21-year-olds Ryan Johansen and Jeff Skinner, who were learning their ABCs when Iginla first donned the flaming ‘C’. Iginla is hanging in with them just fine.

It’s not easy to maintain the touch deep into your 30s. Iginla keeps in top shape. Noted workout warrior Zdeno Chara was eager to get into the gym with him during training camp. St. Louis, who became the oldest winner of the Art Ross Trophy last season as a 37-year-old, is famed for his tree-trunk legs that were honed by summer workouts.

“For a guy whose been in the league this long, [Iginla] has really done a great job in maintaining his conditioning, comes into practice and games and works hard, competes hard all the time,” coach Claude Julien said last weekend. “So, those young guys [on the Bruins] don’t have an opportunity to do nothing more than try and follow his lead.”

Iginla's skills have come around too. Early in the season, Iginla's shot was off. Passes from David Krejci that should have been buried clanged off the glass. There was an open net in the Black Friday game against the Rangers where Iginla had an open net and shot well high.

It took until the Bruins' ninth game for Iginla to score, and he had just five goals in the first 29 games of the season. Since Dec. 8, Iginla has 21 goals in 40 games.

“You see the little things in him that has made him so successful throughout his career, and it’s starting to show more and more as this season goes on,” linemate Milan Lucic said.

The Bruins have gotten everything they could have hoped for in Nathan Horton's replacement. Iginla already has more points (56) than Horton ever had in three seasons as a Bruin (although Horton only got to play one full 82-game season with Boston, due to concussions and the lockout). He’s brought consistency to a line with Lucic and Krejci that had more ups and downs with Horton than planes going out of Logan Airport. Both Lucic and Krejci are having career years.

And Iginla has done it at an age where history tells us he shouldn’t be capable of it. With four more goals, Iginla would become the first player his age to reach 30 since the then-40-year-old Teemu Selanne notched 31 three years ago.

“He’s exactly what was advertised,” Julien said. “There’s been absolutely no surprises with him.”